Game Preview: Bears vs. Crunch, 7 p.m.

October 11, 2025

The Hershey Bears open their 88th season of competition in the American Hockey League tonight when they drop the puck on the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, against the Syracuse Crunch.

Hershey Bears (0-0-0-0) vs. Syracuse Crunch (0-0-0-0)
Oct. 11, 2025 | 7 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Mathieu Menniti (30), Andrew Bell (6)
Linespersons: Anthony Lapointe (58), J.P. Waleksi (14)

Tonight's Promotions:

PLEASE NOTE: Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:40 p.m. for the start of all pre-game ceremonies.

Home Opener Red Carpet Event - 3 p.m. marks the return of our Red Carpet event, featuring photo opportunities, poster-making, and more. At 4 p.m., Bears players and coaches will begin to make their arrival, and fans will have the opportunity to get autographs and pictures with the team as they walk the red carpet. Pre-game fun continues inside GIANT Center with a party on the concourse. Tonight's Red Carpet Event has been canceled due to inclement weather.

Rally Towel Giveaway - All fans will receive a rally towel, courtesy of Eagle Excavating, GIANT, Elizabethtown College, MI Windows, Members 1st, Hollywood Casino, and Tyson.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS VIA TICKETMASTER

Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, and FOX43 sports director Todd Sadowski on the call
TELEVISION: Antenna TV (WPMT FOX 43.2, Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178, Verizon FiOS Ch. 463, Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91, and Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88)
RADIO: WFVY-100.1-FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM, In-arena 88.9-FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports 1460-AM Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m.; Television coverage starts at 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears closed out the preseason with a 3-2 win at Lehigh Valley last Sunday, with David Gucciardi breaking a 2-2 tie in the third period for the win, and Antoine Keller earning the victory for the Bears with a 9-for-9 relief performance. Hershey completed the preseason with a 2-0-0-1 record. The Crunch blanked the Utica Comets 5-0 last Friday in Binghamton, thanks to Harrison Meneghin's 21 saves and a pair of goals from Nick Abruzzese, as Syracuse completed the exhibition slate with a 2-0-0-0 record.

HOME OPENER HISTORY:
Hershey enters its 88th season of AHL competition with a lifetime 41-39-4-2-1 record in the opening game of the regular season, and a lifetime 42-35-4-3-2 record in home openers, along with a 10-7-0-3-2 record in home openers at GIANT Center since the venue opened its doors to start the 2002-03 season. Tonight's game will mark the eighth consecutive season that Hershey has opened the campaign on home ice, posting a 3-3-1-0 record in that span. Hershey's largest win in a season-opening game was an 11-1 victory over the Providence Reds on Oct. 15, 1967; the club's largest defeat came in an 11-0 road loss to the Cornwall Aces on Oct. 8, 1993. The Bears have a lifetime record of 526-230-10-43-48 in 857 regular-season games at GIANT Center.

KING LOOKS TO WRITE FIRST CHAPTER WITH A WIN:
Tonight's game marks the Bears coaching debut of Derek King, hired over the summer as the 29th head coach in franchise history. King's first win behind the bench of the Bears will mark his 100th career pro head coaching victory after previously serving as a head coach in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs and in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. Should Hershey earn the victory tonight, King would become the 14th head coach in club history to win their Hershey coaching debut. Hershey coaches' debut records are 13-12-2-1-0, with today's date marking the seventh time that a Bears head coach made their debut on Oct. 11; the only previous win came in Bryan Murray's debut for the opener of the 1980-81 season, a 6-0 victory over the Binghamton Whalers.

Hershey Bears head coaching debuts:
Herb Mitchell, 11/5/1938, 2-1 W vs. Providence
Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, 11/1/1941, 7-2 W vs. New Haven
Don Penniston, 10/16/1945, 4-3 W at Cleveland
Johnny Crawford, 10/11/1950, 6-2 L at Springfield
Murray Henderson, 10/18/1952, 2-1 L vs. Providence
Frank Mathers, 10/13/1956, 3-1 W vs. Providence
Chuck Hamilton, 10/13/1973, 7-2 L vs. New Haven
Fred Stanfield, 2/16/1979, 5-3 L at Springfield
Gary Green, 10/11/1979, 8-3 L at Adirondack
Doug Gibson, 11/14/1979, 7-4 L vs. Adirondack
Bryan Murray, 10/11/1980, 6-0 W vs. Binghamton
Gary Inness, 11/7/1981, 4-3 W vs. Erie
Bill Barber, 3/6/1985, 8-7 W vs. Moncton
John Paddock, 10/11/1985, 6-3 L at New Haven
Kevin McCarthy, 10/7/1989, 9-5 L at Springfield
Mike Eaves, 10/5/1990, 2-1 W (ot) at Binghamton
Jay Leach, 10/8/1993, 11-0 L at Cornwall
Bob Hartley, 10/4/1996, 5-3 W at Baltimore
Mike Foligno, 10/9/1998, 4-4 T (ot) at Kentucky
Paul Fixter, 10/11/2003, 4-4 T (ot) at Syracuse
Bruce Boudreau, 10/8/2005, 2-1 L at W-B/Scranton
Bob Woods, 11/23/2007, 2-1 W at Philadelphia
Mark French, 10/3/2009, 3-1 W vs. Norfolk
Mike Haviland, 10/5/2013, 4-3 OTL vs. Adirondack
Troy Mann, 10/11/2014, 5-4 L at Norfolk
Spencer Carbery, 10/6/2018, 3-2 L vs. Syracuse
Scott Allen, 10/16/2021, 5-2 W vs. Charlotte
Todd Nelson, 10/15/2022, 3-1 W vs. Utica

POUR ME A DRAFT:
Hershey's roster boasts 24 former NHL Draft picks, including 15 previous selections of the Washington Capitals, most notably 2022 first-round selection Ivan Miroshnichenko, who led the Bears with 23 goals last season in his second campaign in North America, as well as fellow 2022 draftee Ryan Chesley, who turned pro with the Bears late last season and scored in his AHL debut. Looking to make their professional debuts this season with Hershey are 2023 second-round selection Andrew Cristall, who led the Western Hockey League in scoring last season with 132 points, and 2024 third-round selection Ilya Protas (younger brother of 2023 Calder Cup champion Aliaksei Protas), who is coming off a 124-point campaign with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League.

BREAKING DOWN THE CRUNCH:
Tonight's meeting with Syracuse is the 138th regular-season meeting between the two clubs and marks the fourth time in franchise history that the team has opened a season against the Crunch, and the third at home, with the last instance coming in the 2018-19 season. Hershey has a lifetime record of 69-46-11-7-4 against the Crunch, with a 37-21-5-3-3 record at home. Syracuse has won the last two meetings between the clubs, both of which came on GIANT Center ice. Last season, three of Hershey's four games against the Crunch required overtime. With the departure of longtime general manager Stacy Roest over the summer, head coach Joel Bouchard has added the GM role to his duties. 

BEARS BITES:
The Bears will play the first four games of the regular season at GIANT Center. The club's first road game will be against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at PPL Center on Friday, Oct. 24...Hershey's best win streak to open a season is six games, set during the 1982-83 season in the late Gary Innes' first full season behind the bench...Two of Syracuse's alternate captains played their first games against the Bears. Boris Katchouk has returned to the Crunch organization after last skating with the club in 2021-22 - his first career AHL game came with Syracuse on Oct. 6, 2018 at Hershey, while Scott Sabourin played his first game vs. Hershey as a member of the Manchester Monarchs on April 13, 2013.

ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:
Oct. 11, 1987 - The Bears took the ice for their home opener for their 50th anniversary season in front of 7,075 fans at Hersheypark Arena. Hershey got a pair of goals from four different players en route to a 9-3 win over the Baltimore Skipjacks, highlighted by Kevin Maxwell and Don Nachbaur each netting two goals and two assists in the victory. The game also marked the last game for retiring organist Mitch Grand.